> The reason corn syrup is demonized is because it is cheap, enabling lots of foods to pack sugar without much cost.

This !

The OP made a bad point using coke as an example.

The actual point is the HFCS and the fact that HFCS is used extensively in the US, often in places you would not expect it.

In bread products for example its common to find HFCS in it in the US.

The Europeans rarely put any form of sugar in their bread doughs unless they are explicitly baking a sweet product. And even then, the concentration is lower.

You can go to the EU and generally find things like unsweetened granola. In the US these products basically don’t exist.

Incorrect. There is more fructose in HFCS used in Coke, HFCS 55. Fructose is metabolized in the liver, and stored as fat there. Glucose is directly metabolized by cells throughout the body.

Also there is no single reason that HFCS is demonized, there are multiple good reasons why it is harmful in the US. It is also not a singular cause to all US diet related pathologies.

Staying on topic, the chemicals the EPA will no longer enforce the laws for pollution for are demonstrably harmful.

The EPA has unilaterally decided not to do its job because it doesn't care about the health of the citizens of the US.

Woops, my bad, you are right!

Exactly. To remind us - it's the fructose which is a metabolic problem in amounts over a certain value - worth checking out why. Cane sugar and beet sugar both contain sucrose which is one glucose linked to one fructose molecule so you get half the fructose.

no opinion on the rest, but at least in western europe, "normal" white sugar derives from sugar beets.

I think they meant to say corn syrup.

Fun fact: high fructose corn syrup has almost the same sugar content as honey.

That’s fair, but alternatives are usually pretty easy to find.

Def not sugar canes :D

Perhaps they are strictly traditionalist and only accept beet sugar, and none of that new-world cane stuff that doesn't grow well in European climes ./s

In all likelihood, they meant to say corn syrup.

That's pretty interesting. Were there different flavors in each country as well? My friend brought me some paprika pringles from iceland and they were delicious. So good that we ordered them online but the online versions shipped terribly and were delivered as pringles dust. I used it to bread chicken which still was pretty good. But if you are in iceland get the paprika pringles!

That is mostly because the same brand made for Eastern europe tastes like shit compared to the stuff for western. Worst offenders are nutella and coca cola. but there are many others.